FEMA obligates $3.3 million to SHECO for power linesPolk County Enterprise - May 2009
AUSTIN – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded more than $3.3 million to the state of Texas for the Sam Houston Electric Cooperative to repair downed distribution lines after Hurricane Ike. “Thousands of customers of this East Texas cooperative lost power as a result of Hurricane Ike,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Brad Harris. “There was a tremendous effort to get service restored quickly after the storm.” In support of that effort FEMA awarded $3,329,395 to reimburse the cooperative for materials, freight charges to expedite the delivery of materials, fuel-related expenses and rentals necessary to restore the systems to pre-disaster conditions. This represents 75 percent of the cost of the work. The remaining 25 percent is the nonfederal portion. Once FEMA reimburses the state of Texas, further management of the funds, including disbursement to organizations performing the services, is the responsibility of the state. The obligated funds are a portion of nearly $774 million in total Public Assistance disaster funds sent to the state since September 2008. “High winds and debris literally knocked the cooperative’s power lines to the ground,” State Coordinating Officer Joan Haun said.

“The federal Public Assistance funds are providing vital support to this utility.” FEMA responds to all eligible requests for assistance through the Public Assistance program. For more Public Assistance information by county, go to http://www.fema. gov/ike and click on the Disaster Statistics button. Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). For TTY call 800-462-7585. FEMA leads and supports the nation in a risk-based, comprehensive emergency management system of preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation, to reduce the loss of life and property and to protect the nation from all hazards including natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters.